Tre piani

Three Floors finally made it to the US. It did not receive theatrical distribution, but at least the film is viewable on Mubi. How is it possible that the films of one of the most important living filmmakers today are so hard to see? An author whose films are consistently selected at Cannes?

The title Tre Piani refers to the three floors of an apartment complex in Rome, and the lives of its occupants, but also to the three time periods that are covered in the film, and likely to the at least three layers of interpretation of the film.

Three Floors was poorly received at Cannes in 2021. It is certainly not a typical Moretti film, but that's what makes it new, refreshing and intriguing. It is an austere film, unclassifiable, moving from dramatic to emotional to disturbing from scene to scene. It defies expectations consistently, taking the audience on a true discovery journey. Rarely have I watched a film that was so unpredictable.

Like all great films, it contains many layers of interpretation, and I will not claim to have even fully explored the first layer. But what I can say is that even at its first level, the movie is engaging, emotional, and thoughtful at once. The screenplay and the acting are exceptional, as so is the directing, of course.

One of the main questions the film asks is "how do you film a truly dramatic story?" or even "how do you make a melodrama?" While remaining honest, non-manipulative. Three Floors provides a definitive answer, touching our hearts and souls, while respecting every character as well as the audience. A film not to be missed.

In the cinematographic panorama of the last two years, there has been a growing trend of films leveraged by a certain type of introspection that takes the form of a reflection on the choices that are made, the paths that follow and how they influence, indelibly and irreparably, the characters' lives.

Nanni Moretti's moving new film, TRE PIANI (2021), seems to follow this trend (the expression "la nostra strada" is repeated in the film, probably to show that "la nostra strada" is not always the most indicated, that we should all question ourselves, because we all fail), and the characters will have to deal with the consequences of their choices, some of them even marked by a certain levity, ending up in tragic situations.

The story follows, over ten years, the daily lives of four families who live in the same building in Rome, each representing a different stage of life, a fact that is not unrelated to the circumstance of having a teenager, a child and a newborn at the centre of each of these stories, each of them containing within itself all the possibilities of the world.

Moretti's direction is of an impeccable sensitivity, letting the melodrama flow without unnecessary pauses and the passing of time is transmitted naturally, as if all those characters were really growing, aging, transforming before our eyes. Although, at times, we are tempted to judge their attitudes, it becomes clear, as the film progresses towards its conclusion, that there are neither good nor bad here, only human beings who make mistakes, who try to improve, who repent, who learn from their mistakes, and, in a way, achieve redemption, with the exception of the figure of the judge played by Nanni Moretti, whose rigidity of principles is never abandoned, but ends up being extinguished with him.

It is, therefore, on the dichotomy between justice / human relations that this film is based. The law, as a regulator, deterrent and punisher of human behaviour, should, must be, the same for all. However, the law of human relationships is volatile and always depends on a good dose of understanding, tolerance and acceptance, in order to make room for hope and change. The human condition feeds on them.

Another Moretti typical setting so plenty of Rome and silences, rich houses and spoiled people. Yet it is not forcibly filled with Italian stereotypes. Nanni Moretti is still bringing realism to the table. The move is interesting and can be seen just following along the plot without paying much attention but I am convinced there are different level of interpretation and maybe it's personal based on each one relation to a character or a situation.

After reflecting upon it, I come to the conclusion that the movie is about psychology. All the main characters have an obsession that profoundly affect their lives and their beloved ones.

This subtle fil rouge is worth all the movie.

Very bitter but powerful drama which follows the stories of the tenants of three apartments, placed on three different floors of a small residential condo in Rome. They make tough choices - each one obeying to what they belive is right.

Time exposes them to the consequences of their decisions and to the causes of their suffering. This leads to a few changes of perspective,when the reasons of the others are eventually seen and understood.

The narrative revolves around families who live on three floors of the same building, and each family has its subplot. You might even say that each family has its plot and we get three movies, intermingled, for the price of one. In Israel, where the original Three Floors novel comes from, there was even a stage play called The Third Floor that was based on a single one of them.

Although the novel is set in Israel, the plot and characters are reimagined in Rome for the film. There are a dozen characters to keep track of, and it's to the filmmakers' credit that keeping them straight is not a hopeless chore. The characters are interesting and believable, and they certainly go through a lot, but the film doesn't present us with any major character to identify with wholeheartedly. What we get is more like a human tapestry.